KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday approved the release of government wheat at the rate of Rs12,500 per 100-kilogramme bag from Oct 15 in order to stabilise flour prices and ensure availability of the commodity in the province.
Presiding over a meeting of the food department at Chief Minister House, the chief minister directed the department to start releasing the wheat from Oct 15 and ensure that the benefit of the subsidised price was passed on to consumers.
According to a press statement issued by CM House, the meeting was attended among others by Provincial Ministers Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Jam Khan Shoro and Makhdoom Mehboob Zaman, Adviser Gianchand Esrani, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah and Food Secretary Ghulam Abbas Naich.
The meeting participants were informed that the province currently held 346,414 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat in stocks across districts.
CM Murad approves the release to curb rising flour prices
With 190,000 MT from the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) and 300,000 MT of imported wheat to be added, the total stock available for release will increase to 836,414 MT.
It was informed that Karachi Division currently held 135,948 MT, which would increase to 565,948 MT after arrival of Passco and imported stocks.
An additional 30,000 MT has been allocated for Hyderabad region and 60,000 MT for Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad regions from Passco reserves.
It was also said that last year the province had released 974,982 MT of wheat.
The meeting participants noted that wheat in Karachi was currently being sold at around Rs13,200 per 100kg, while retail flour prices range between Rs165 and Rs170 per kg. On Oct 1, wheat was trading at Rs12,400 per 100kg and flour at Rs160 to Rs165 per kg, reflecting an upward trend.
After reviewing stock position, subsidy implications and market trends, the chief minister approved the issue price of Rs12,500 per 100kg and directed the food department to closely monitor the market to ensure price stability and protect consumers from excessive increase in flour prices.
Approves additional allocation for SEF
Also on Wednesday, the chief minister approved an additional annual allocation of Rs7.9 billion for the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) to revise subsidy rates for its partner schools, including those managed by The Citizens Foundation (TCF), in a bid to sustain educational access amid rising inflation.
He gave the approval while presiding over the 14th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the SEF, which was attended, among others, by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Planning & Development (P&D) Chairman Najam Shah and SEF Managing Director Ghanwar Ali Leghari.
The board noted that the SEF currently serves as a cornerstone of the province’s education strategy, reaching 1,078,252 students through 3,230 institutions.
The CM constituted a specialised committee comprising the education minister, chairman P&D, and secretary finance to review and recommend the final subsidy adjustments.
The board also sanctioned a strategic grant for the expansion of services in difficult-to-reach areas. This includes the reopening of dormant schools, the creation of new facilities in underserved regions, and the phased operationalisation of 500 government community schools.
The CM said that the provincial government remained committed to ensuring that no child is left behind.
Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2026
